New mission, vision statements in development for Winnetka Park District

The Winnetka Park District’s proposed changes to its mission and vision statements, and the addition of a values statement, will need more work before Park Board commissioners can get behind them.

Park District Executive Director Shannon Nazzal went through the proposed changes and the process behind them at the board’s most recent meeting on May 28.

But multiple commissioners had varying concerns with the proposed new wording and a lack of public involvement, leading to a unanimous vote to continue discussions to the board’s June meeting, and in the interim, email feedback to Nazzal.

The park district’s current mission, according to its website, is “to provide a balance of quality recreation and leisure opportunities while protecting assets, natural resources, and open space to benefit present and future generations.”

Its current vision states: “We help build an active, vibrant community identity and a sustainable environment by promoting healthy lifestyles for residents of all ages and abilities through quality recreation services, parks, facilities, programs, and partnerships that meet the highest standards of excellence.”

Nazzal explained that the proposal to update the mission and vision statements and to add a values statement came up during the comprehensive master plan and strategic plan processes. She said that the strategic plan, which is in its “final phase” before coming to the Park Board, “needs an adopted or updated or reviewed mission, vision and values (statement) for us to continue through that process.”

She added that the park district is currently going through a state and federal accreditation process and one of the requirements is that the official statements be reviewed, while also noting that the mission and vision statements were adopted in 2007.

Nazzal said the development of new statements included two workshops with the park district’s supervisory staff where they discussed whether the current statements were an accurate description of the park district’s modern goals. She said the staff “didn’t feel that it still met all the things we’re currently doing.”

When asked by Park Board President Elise Gibson for specifics, Nazzal mentioned the word “leisure” in the mission statement, which she said is not a term used anymore by park districts.

The proposed new mission statement is, “To provide a balance of parks, programs and services that meet the evolving needs of our community through inclusive, high-quality experiences, while protecting the parks, facilities and resources entrusted to us for present and future generations.”

The proposed new vision is, “To be a trusted, innovative, and adaptable park district that contributes to a healthy, vibrant community through inclusive practices and environmental stewardship.”

The values statement is proposed to be CARES, an acronym for Community, Accountability, Respect, Excellence and Sustainability.

After Nazzal’s presentation, commissioners expressed appreciation for the work put into the new statements and began sharing their concerns with the proposals.

Commissioner David Seaman said they were not “fully baked.”

“I would actually view that the existing mission and vision are better than what we have here,” he said. “I think it’s missed the mark.”

Seaman and other commissioners specifically noted that they didn’t feel comfortable with the lack of the phrase “open space” in any of the proposed statements.

Commissioner Cynthia Rapp echoed Seaman’s concerns.

“From my perspective, I would be prepared to just not change them if we decided tonight,” she said. “I personally would be prepared to adopt the resolution for the proposed values, and leave the mission and vision as they are.”

Commissioner Colleen Root said she felt the public should have input on the changes.

“The Comprehensive Master Plan, as I understood it, had a lot of public engagement,” she said. “And I think it’s disappointing, if we were going to change our mission, that we didn’t give the public an opportunity to come in and speak to that.”

Commissioner Scott Corley, on the other hand, said he felt the proposals were fine the way they are.

“I will admit that I’m not really getting the difference between saying ‘open space’ and ‘protecting the parks,’” he said. “I don’t know of any plan to get rid of the parks or turn them into not open space.”

Commissioner Christina Codo made the suggestion ultimately adopted by the board to direct commissioners to email their concerns to Nazzal and to have her return with refined proposals at the June meeting.

Codo also voiced support for giving the Park Board and the public a chance to participate in the process.

“I would like to do a little bit more digging and education for myself,” she said.

Nazzal said she will return with the board’s suggested changes, and also said that the park district may send out a survey to get feedback from residents.

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